Exercise capacity, respiratory mechanics and posture in mouth breathers

Abstract

Chroni c and persistent mouth or oral breathing (OB) has been associated with postural changes.Although posture changes in OB causes decreased respiratory muscle strength, reduced chest expansion and impaired pulmonary ventilation with consequences in the exercise capacity, few studies have verified all these assumptions.Objective: To evaluate exercise tolerance, respiratory muscle strength and body posture in oral breathing (OB) compared with nasal breathing (NB) children. Material and method:A cross-sectional contemporary cohort study that included OB and NB children aged 8-11 years old. Children with obesity, asthma, chronic respiratory diseases, neurological and orthopedic disorders, and cardiac conditions were excluded. All participants underwent a postural assessment, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), the six-minute walk test (6MWT), and otorhinolaryngologic evaluation. Conclusion: OB children had cervical spine postural changes and decreased respiratory muscle strength compared with NB. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;77(5):656-62. ORIGINAL ARTICLE BJORL

Body posture and pulmonary function in mouth and nose breathing children: cross-sectional study

“…On the other hand, a number of studies have associated postural changes, primarily forward head posture, to mouth breathing (2,3,4,26). In a study by Okuro et al (2), head posture was most affected by mouth breathing, acting as a satisfactory compensatory mechanism to maintain respiratory muscle strength, irrespective of breathing mode.…”

“…Mouth breathing in childhood, commonly associated with pulmonary and postural changes, may be obstructive or functional in origin (1,2,3,4). Obstructive origins are more common and have multiple causes, such as nasal mucosal congestion secondary to allergic rhinitis, anatomical deformities of nasal cavities, nasal turbinate hypertrophy, adenoid hypertrophy and palatine tonsil hypertrophy (5,6,7).…”

“…However, it is believed that to facilitate the entry of air via the oropharynx, mouth breathers develop forward head posture (2,10). Thus, muscular imbalance occurs, including not only the neck muscles, but also the scapular waist, rib cage, abdominal and pelvic muscles, which are distributed in a functionally interdependent network.…”

A qualidade do sono modificada pela síndrome da respiração oral pode prejudicar o desempenho físico do atleta

“…1,2 However, even after the related factors are removed, the MBS may persist due to the patient's mouth-breathing habit. 3 Patients develop unbalanced facial muscles, in addition to alterations in the positioning of teeth, lips, tongue, palate, and jaw, so as to counterbalance the new breathing pattern.…”

Diaphragmatic amplitude and accessory inspiratory muscle activity in nasal and mouth-breathing adults: A cross-sectional study

“…These factors can be obstructive, mainly the enlarged adenotonsilar tissues, or functional, caused by transient edema of nasal mucosa, muscular flaccidity or by the maintenance of this habit even after surgical correction (Berwig et al, 2011). Mouth supplying is considered an abnormal and inefficient adaptation of breathing mode and it may induce functional, postural, biomechanical and occlusal imbalances (Barros et al, 2006;Okuro et al, 2011).…”